STUDENT LIFE
But books aren’t the only goods that can be sold on CampusWall. Nearly anything, from bean bag chairs to TVs, can be bought and sold, making it easy to locate affordable amenities or make some extra money. A hap- py budget makes a happy student.
SUSTAINABILITY Te added pocket cash isn’t the only green that students experience through the site. For as many items that students need, there are as many things that are only needed for a brief period of time. But, what happens when those items are no longer useful? What happens when that microwave, a critical amenity in the dorms, is no longer needed due to an apartment with a micro- wave already installed? Even Snyder noticed the stray microwave abandoned on move-out day. With Cam- pusWall, students are given the opportunity to re-utilize old goods in place of tossing them at move-out. Rather than creating more trash in the dumpster, an item can skip the junkyard and gain a new home.
Goods don’t always have to be sold on Cam-
pusWall–if a student is ready to get rid of something, even without the pretense of a monetary exchange, the opportunity to swap or simply share goods exists. Ready to dump that mini-fridge? Offer it to someone who needs it! Who knows–maybe they have that bed frame for which your student has been searching! Cam- pusWall provides students with a means to conserve resources through posting ride-shares, as well, much like the bulletin boards of years past. Recycling or reusing goods offers clear environmental benefits to the usual trash-toss, giving CampusWall a clear place within the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra.
COMMUNITY But selling, buying and swapping goods is only part of what CampusWall has to offer. Because the service is extended solely to faculty, staff and students on a partic- ular campus, CampusWall creates a virtual community by not only connecting students to others on campus, but allowing them access to campus-specific services. Faculty members can post on-campus job ads. Students can offer tutoring services or homework help. Class- mates can arrange study sessions. Tese services enable students to explore campus through another medium, exposing them to new people and networks within their
own college community. Even in the digital age, adds Snyder, not everyone is “super connected;” there are times when a student may not know the student across the hall was looking to sell their calculus book, or that a classmate needed help understanding the course materi- al. By offering campus-specific posts, CampusWall acts as an extension of the campus community.
TRUST Snyder’s initial concern was the safety of her daughters in their search for goods. CampusWall brings a sense of trust that only faculty and students are able to access to post and buy goods or offer services. Only valid .edu email addresses associated with the school are granted access to the site, leaving parents and students alike with the peace of mind that CampusWall is a service you can trust. And rather than going on a city- or even state-wide search, CampusWall provides students with the convenience of a campus-local pick-up or drop-off site when exchanging items–leaving the exchange to a location with which students are familiar.
Providing students with an affordable way to not
only save or make money, but to do so safely within a community resource, CampusWall is a beneficial tool for every college student. With over a thousand students utilizing CampusWall at hundreds of institutions, Cam- pusWall continues to grow as students and institutions alike catch wind of its advantages.
MYCAMPUSWALL.COM FACEBOOK.COM/MYCAMPUSWALL
Rachel Wiley is the Managing Editor of Today’s Campus and can be reached at:
Rachel@TodaysCampus.com
JULY/AUG 2012 •
TODAYSCAMPUS.COM 35
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